Catching Fire
by tell-my-fairytale
Summary: Catching Fire rewritten. What will happen? Who stays alive? How do things end after all? See for yourselves.  Warnings: Occasional angst, M for future chapters, Effniss
1. The Train

Effie Trinket burst into the home of Katniss Everdeen wearing a pumpkin orange wig.

"We are on time!" She announced in that loud and cheery voice of hers. She kissed Katniss on both of her cheeks, making her blush a little. The team had done a marvellous job, yet again, at making Katniss look amazing. The girl herself looked a little uncomfortable, but that was nothing to worry about right now, the tour was about to begin after all.

"I have made a very tight schedule for us and there is not a single minute" Effie said and took a quick look at the bunch of papers in her hand. "Let's just shoot the beginning and get to the train as quick as possible, the other Districts are already waiting!" She chirped and motioned everyone to take their places.

Katniss stepped out of the door, seeing Peeta and trying to figure out the most convincing ways to prove that they were in love. She leaped to Peeta's arms and they spun around a few times. Their kiss in the snowfall crowned the whole thing. For some reason, Effie Trinket couldn't help feeling something chewing her insides a bit when it happened. She didn't know what it was, but she was glad it was gone as quickly as it came.

"Alright everyone, to the train." She said happily and pushed everyone to the right direction.

The trainride was certainly not silent. Cinna and Portia were chatting about new clothing ideas for the couple, Haymitch was drinking (what a surprise) and Effie was explaining the whole team's schedule to Peeta and Katniss.

"-so you see, we must get up very early in order to make it to every event that's been planned for us. I suggest you sleep as much as you can, this job can be very tiring for those who aren't used to it." Effie finished and took a small sip of the turquoise liquid in a tall glass next to her.

"Uhm.. Thank you, Effie. I think I'll go take a nap right away." Peeta said and escaped from any future lectures. Effie simply nodded in approval and was happy that she could have a chat with Katniss with just the two of them.

"Well, how's life been since.. Well.. The games?" She asked with a careful smile on her face. Katniss had to think about that for a moment. _'Safe.' _was the first thing that entered her mind, but she didn't want to say it. It sounded weak to her, and that was the last thing Katniss Everdeen would be. "It's been.. Different, that's for sure." Katniss admitted. She also flashed a smile and it made Effie's heart speed up a bit. She simply ignored it as excitement for the forecoming events.

"Well, great." She replied. An awkward silence followed and Katniss couldn't stand it.

"I'm going to go find Peeta. I've got some things to talk about with him." She stated, got up and left Effie sitting by herself. Just as she was about to open the door, Haymitch flung it open and Katniss fell to the floor.

"Watch it!" She exclaimed and rubbed her nose. Haymitch mumbled something like a 'sorry', but no one was really sure if that's what he really said. Effie quickly got up to help Katniss and she had to make sure that Haymitch hadn't broken her nose.

"Are you alright? What about your nose? Should we get someone to take a closer look at it?" Effie babbled away, but got a simple answer from Katniss: "I'm fine." She ripped herself away from Effie's grip and made her way to the door once again.

"Whazzup wiff her?" Haymitch sputtered, but didn't get an answer for he fell unconscious to the floor, right in front of Effie's brand new shoes.

"Oh, for goodness' sake!" She said and asked for a servant to take the man to his quarters.

It was getting late, everyone was in their own rooms, everyone except Katniss. She had to speak to Haymitch, now that she still had the time. She arrived quickly to his door and had to knock several times before the door was opened.

"What is it?" He asked grumpily. Katniss told him that she had to speak with him and he came up with an excuse to get out of the train for a minute.

"Well?"

Katniss told him everything. Absolutely everything. She started from the nightmares about the games, she told him about Snow's visit in her home and she told him about Peeta. She didn't want to keep up their relationship, it simply didn't feel right.

"Don't you get it? Your relationship with Peeta isn't just going to be left in the dust. It'll be brought up every year, cause you two will be mentors from now on. Your private life will be the subject of discussion to the day you die. Face it, Katniss. You're going to spend the rest of your life with him."

They went back inside to the warmth of the train. Haymitch got safely to his room, but Katniss just had to crash into Effie. Her nose could only take so many hits, it was already sore from the blow it had got earlier.

"Sorry Katniss, I wasn't looking where I was going- wait.. What are you even doing here this late?" She asked. Katniss had to come up with an excuse and _fast._ "I was.. Um.. Well.. I was just.. Getting a drink. I got really thirsty back there." _'That was a close one'_ Katniss thought and anxiously waited whether her lie was believable enough or not. "Oh, I see. Well, good ni-"

"Wait. What are _you_ doing here this late?" She just had to ask it. She noticed that Effie's cheeks a tad more red as she desperately tried to get something out. She struggled for a moment but decided to tell the truth, or at least part of it.

"I was simply clearing my thoughts. There is a lot on my mind lately. Everything needs to be on time, you and Peeta, and of course a few personal things, but you don't need to mind your head with that." Effie told Katniss with a slightly stressed look. Katniss felt a little bad about her rude escape from her this morning and she felt it would be necessary to apologize and yet seh couldn't bring herself to do it right now.

"Oh. Well I hope it'll get better", was all she said.

Effie smiled and left quickly so she wouldn't slip any unneeded information by accident. Katniss shrugged and finally went back to her room to get some sleep.

Katniss was staring out the window, looking as the sun was slowly rising in the horizon. The night had been filled with nightmares that made Katniss wake up to her own screams and she was exhausted, although she did her best to cover it. She was very grateful when she heard Effie knocking on her door, telling her that breakfast was ready. Katniss quickly dressed up in something comfortable and dry, and washed her face to get rid of the sweat pearls that had made their way on her forehead. After she was done she exited her room and headed to the dining car for some breakfast.

Effie was already sitting in one of the tables by herself, but she hadn't even touched her meal. She was looking out of the window with a forlorn look on her face and a heavy sigh escaped her lips. Katniss wanted to make the woman smile again so badly. She coughed lightly to get her attention and immediately Effie's eyes sprang to her. A smile was suddenly on her face, whether it was fake or not, Katniss wasn't sure. "Morning." She said sleepily.

"Good morning, Katniss!" Effie said with her usual happy tone. "You made me wait quite a while."

"You just woke me up." Katniss replied and looked hungrily at the table filled with food.

"Well, go on then!" Effie said and patted Katniss' back. In a while they were both eating a delicious breakfast, chatting about basically anything that hit their minds. As much as Effie liked small talk, she had more pressing matters on her mind.

"Effie?" Katniss asked in a concerned voice. Apparently she hadn't heard her so Katniss waved a hand in front of her eyes.

"Are you okay? You've been a lot in your thoughts lately." Katniss asked her. Effie picked on her food with the fork and answered: "Of course I am. I'm simply stressed out. No need to worry, though, it's nothing big." Another smile, certainly fake this time. She didn't know why, but she found herself caring more than she originally thought. After her remark, Effie put much more effort in being happy and positive as usual.

"Where's everyone else?" Katniss asked after a while.

"Who knows about Haymitch." Effie said, "Cinna was up really late when he was organizing your clothing car. He has reserved you at least one hundred different costumes. The evening dresses are marvellous. And Peeta's team should be up in a minute."

"Why aren't they preparing him already?" Katniss asked.

"They did a lot last night, trying out suits and whatnot.", Effie answered.

Finally everyone else began to appear to the dining car, one by one. Cinna, Portia and Venia looked terrible. They had coffee cups in their one hand and migraine medicine in the other.

When the styling team was done with breakfast they moved to the clothing car, taking Katniss with them. They quickly made all necessary touch ups around her face and her body, and checked everything from her eyebrows to her ankles. Soon she was returned to the dining car, but now instead of mountains of food, there were only some colorful drinks on the tables. Time passed on as Peeta and Katniss went through the schedule again and this time Haymitch was with them. Suddenly the train stopped. The driver came in to announce that there is a small malfunction in the train's system and it would take about an hour to fix completely.

And that's when Effie went nuts.

"An hour!? This messes up the entire schedule! Every single tiny detail needs to be moved! Do you have any idea how much effort it took me to plan everything so in detail and now I might as well feed these papers to rats!" she screamed. She began the lecture of a life time and after about fifteen minutes, Katniss couldn't take it anymore.

"Effie, who cares?" she shouted. Everyone in the table turned to look at her and she stood in silence for a second before sprinting out of the room. Effie looked a little hurt by the outburst and suddenly it was awkwardly quiet. Peeta got up and ran after Katniss to make sure she didn't do anything stupid.

He saw her sitting on the railway, staring at the sunset.

"I thought you were Haymitch." Peeta sat next to Katniss.

"He's trying to help fix the train. Bad day?" he asked her. Katniss rolled her eyes and said: "It's no big deal." Peeta looked at her, knowing she was lying.

"Ok, fine. I'm worried." she said and Peeta looked at her, silently asking her to continue.

"It's sort of stupid, but.. It's about Effie." Peeta's eyebrows rose in an amusing fashion and he said: "I knew it." Katniss shot him a look and continued: "I mean, something's obviously wrong with her but whenever I ask her about it, she says she's just stressed."

Peeta nodded in understanding. "I see.", he said and put a hand over Katniss' shoulder. "Just try to get through her shell. She'll talk to you eventually if she wants to."

Katniss just looked at the horizon, hoping that the older woman would share her worries instead of building them up inside. She knew from experience that it was no good. They stared at the sunset for a longer time than they thought, and suddenly the train whistled. Haymitch came to get them back and Katniss went right back to Effie to apologize about her outburst.

She was forgiven after a long and complicated apology with a compliment here and there, but she wasn't finished yet. Katniss waited until everyone else except Effie had gone to sleep. _'This is it.'_ she thought and cleared her throat.

"Effie.. I.. I need to ask you something", Katniss said.

" Oh. Well, what is it?"

"I'm a little concerned about.. you. You looked really sad this morning and I'm wondering if there's anything I could do."

Effie looked at Katniss with an unsure glint in her eyes. She opens and closes her mouth a few times, but no words come out.

"Katniss.." she whispers, "I really am sorry if I've caused you to worry. I told you that you don't have to think about my personal problems. You've got enough to deal with as it is."

That's all she says before standing up and leaving, taking all her notes with her.

"I suppose I'll just have to wait," she said aloud, slightly disappointed. She was about to leave as well, until she stepped on something. It was a piece of paper, full of scribbles and neat handwriting. _'Effie must've dropped it.' _She thought and looked at the writing on the page. Something small caught her eye at the corner of the paper. There was a small heart with two letters on it, KE. There was only one name that matched the syllables.


	2. District 11

**Disclaimer: I own nothing except the new plotline and all that jazz. Suzanne Collins is our god, and everyone knows what's hers and what's mine. Also, sorry if the parts from the book are a bit tacky, I have to translate it from the finnish version.**

**Thank you for every single review, favourite and story alert, each and every one of them is greatly apprecciated. GREATLY. I love you all C:  
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><p>KE. There was only one thing those letters could mean. Katniss just stared at the tiny heart in the corner until Effie came rushing back in.<p>

"Katniss! Have you seen one of my papers? It's very-" she was cut off after seeing what she was looking for in Katniss' hands. "-important.." Effie's face turned a deep crimson red and she nearly tore the paper from Katniss' hands and ran out of the room.

"Effie, wait!" she shouted, but Effie was already gone. Katniss cursed and got up to find her. The first place she checked was Effie's room, of course, but she wasn't there. Then she made her way to the bar car, moving on to the clothing car.

_'Where did she go?' _Katniss thought once she had raided the whole train. She re-checked every single corner of the train, but still no sign of Effie Trinket and her pink wig. Katniss was getting tired, and as much as she wanted to just find Effie, her body needed rest. She gave up for now, but she would engage Effie about the subject tomorrow, that is, if she would turn up at all..

The bed looked deliciously comfortable when Katniss got back to her room and she gave in to the temptation of sleep. Her dreams were haunted by the Hunger Games again, her screams were probably loud and clear to everyone who happened to wake up to them. It was a long night of waking up and falling asleep to another nightmare.

Finally the blissful morning came. Katniss groggily opened her eyes to look at the alarm clock on her left. _'10 in the morning..'_ She took note of the time and the fact that Effie hadn't come to wake her up for breakfast. Suddenly last night's events hit her like a brick. Katniss mentally slapped herself for not remembering earlier and hurried to take a shower and go get some food. If the odds were in her favor, Effie would be there as well.

Everyone was in the restaurant car, including Effie. Katniss greeted Peeta and Haymitch, who were chatting about something not so important. Portia and Cinna were talking about fashion with the styling team. Finally, there was Effie, who was sitting by herself in the corner of the car, fixing the accessory on her head and using the window as a mirror.

"Effie?" Katniss said in a small voice that made Effie freeze. She quickly turned around to face Katniss' searching eyes. Much to her surprise Effie was the first to say something.

"Good morning, Katniss! Sleep well?" She asked with that familiar smile on her face. Katniss wondered why she hadn't tried to run away from her again, but then she figured that everyone was there, and it would cause a lot of questions. "Morning. Of course I did." Katniss lied with a straight face. She sat in front of Effie and did her best to keep the small talk going.

"What about you?" Katniss asked. Effie let her gaze wonder on her feet before coming up with an answer. "I think you already have a good guess." She sighed and looked out of the window again. "You know.. about that paper-"

"Well morning to you too! Couldn't sleep any longer now could you?" Haymitch shouted and sat next to Katniss. _'You have got to be kidding me!' _Katniss thought and nearly slapped her forehead. "Morning.. Haymitch.." Katniss said, trying to hold in whatever was left from last night's dinner. Haymitch obviously hadn't taken a shower and his breath smelled strongly like alcohol.

"Now then, we should be arriving to District 11 soon, am I right? I tell you, this place is gonna be big." he continued and it was blatantly obvious that Katniss couldn't care less. She looked at the view outside, seeing only golden fields with a plenty of workers.

"Well then" Effie stated and pointed Cinna towards their table, "It's time to get you dressed up." Cinna took Katniss away, leaving Haymitch with Effie, who was clearly uncomfortable. Katniss frowned and wished she could get back soon.

It didn't take long until they had arrived and both Katniss and Peeta were ready. Effie recited their schedule for today and made sure they remembered it by the word. The train stopped and tiny changes were made in the outfits before leaving.

"Come on, now!" Effie said and let Haymitch take the lead. The moment they stepped outside the train, a bunch of peacekeepers arrived and took them to a van. They were basically locked inside the trunk of the car.

"You'd think we're all prisoners!" Effie huffed unsatisfied. She was used to the glamour of Capitol, so no wonder a ride like this would make her feel a little sour. The ride was bumpy and Peeta even fell off his bench once, but other than that everything went pretty nicely.

They were let out of the van behind the court house of District 11 and were ushered inside. Nobody was allowed to look around and Peeta and Katniss were taken to the veranda straight away.

"Smile!" Effie says before the doors close behind them and Katniss gets a look at Effie's eyes one last time. Why didn't she notice earlier how beautiful the light blue shade of them was? Katniss didn't have time to think about Effie's eyes, as much as she would've wanted to. She had to focus on the current problem in front of her and Peeta.

"Don't worry, I'll take care of this." Peeta said and gave Katniss a reassuring look. She protested but Peeta shushed her and took a step forward, pointing her to the chair in the back of the veranda. Katniss had no choice but to sit down and watch as Peeta talked his way through the situation yet again.  
>On the other hand, she got a chance to look at the surroundings. The place was crowded with people and some were watching from the nearby fields because there was no space left. In the very front there was a platform for the tributes' families. On Tresh's side there was only an old lady and a muscled girl- probably Tresh's sister. Then there was Rue's family.. She couldn't face them. Not yet. Not after what she'd done to their sweet little girl.<br>Katniss looked everywhere except in front of her, until it was her turn to speak. Luckily Effie had made sure she'd remember her lines in her dreams, so it was no trouble to do it, but it was still uncomfortable. Peeta came back to speak after she was done and added something he certainly shouldn't have.

"We can't replace your loss, but we want to show our gratitude. We will give one month's amount of our reward once a year to both tributes' family for the rest of our lives."

Katniss was horrified, to say the least. This would only make things worse, but maybe.. just.. _maybe _she could fix this. The mayor came with two little girls to present Katniss and Peeta with two tablets, far too big for their own size. One of the girls, obviously Rue's sister, stared at her like she was waiting for something. _'Of course.. I haven't thanked them yet.' _

"Wait!" Katniss said loudly and Peeta looked at her in confusion,"Wait! I still have something to say." She gave her tablet to Peeta and stepped forward. She gave a speech she hadn't planned at all. She had been thinking about giving a quick thank you to Rue's family, but this got a little out of hand.  
>Once she was finished she had aniticipated clapping, maybe some cheering, but not a whistle. Not <em>the<em> whistle. Some old man from the crowd had whistled the remarkable tune Katniss and Rue had agreed on being their signal for 'safe'. The man kissed his three fingers and ilfted them to air.

One by one, the entire crowd was doing the same and this wasn't good, not even near good. What would president Snow think? This was a catasthrope, and there was no fixing it anymore. As much as the gesture honored Rue, it shouldn't have been done. Two peacekeepers came from the doors behind them and took them back inside the building, but Katniss got a quick peek of what was going on outside. The man who had whistled was being ragged on the veranda and a gunshot was heard.

"What have I done.." Katniss whispered. The peacekeepers were a little rough on them when they pushed them through one more pair of doors and they instantly closed behind them. Cinna, Haymitch and Effie were looking at them, and none with a pleased face. Effie was the first to say something.

"What happened out there? The connection was cut after Katniss' beauiful speech, and then Haymitch said he'd heard a gunshot and I said it was ridiculous, but who knows? Madmen all around the place!" Her voice was quite frantic, although she had tried to disguise it. Katniss couldn't really say anything about the situation, she just looked at Effie, trying to apologize without saying anything. Two more gunshots pierced the pressing silence and Haymitch motioned Peeta and Katniss to come with him.

They walked and climbed dozens of stairs and finally arrived in a room that was covered in dust and obviously hadn't been used in years. Katniss explained the situation and Haymitch agreed on the fact that this was indeed bad.

"What's bad? Just because they give a blessing shouldn't-" Peeta started but Katniss cut him off.

"You don't know the whole thing." Peeta looked confused as Katniss and Haymitch exchanged looks. This was the moment to tell him. They told him about president Snow, about the rebellion, even about Katniss' kiss with Gale a year back. Once everything was out, there was no going back.

"So.. Why didn't you just tell me sooner? I only made things worse by making that promise about the reward." Peeta said and the look in his blue eyes was heartbreaking. He ran out of the room with Katniss on his tail.

"Peeta, please! You know we couldn't risk a thing with this!" Katniss yelled, but Peeta jus tkept on going. They arrived back to the room with Effie and Cinna in it, who were intensely watching the argument.

"Really? You know I'm good at acting, you know I'm good with the cameras! Was it really that hard to tell me? I could've dealt with it! I'm sick of you two keeping things from me!" Peeta screamed at her face.

"Peeta, I already said I'm sorry!" Katniss tried.

"Don't you dare! Why don't you just go back to Gale, he's so important to you anyway!"

Those were his final words before he stormed out to god knows where. Katniss just stood there, shocked. The second Peeta's footsteps were no longer heard, Effie and Cinna rushed to her side. They made her sit down on the couch they previously were on and asked several times if she was alright, with no answer. Cinna trusted Effie to deal with the situatioin and left to find Haymitch. Effie looked a little unsure, but eventually got over whatever was keeping her from hugging the girl unbearably tight.

"He'll be back, he has to come back really, we can't finish the tour without him." She babbled and Katniss wrapped her own arms around Effie. She knew very well what this felt like to Effie, and couldn't help but feel a teeny bit happy about it. Effie tightened her grip a little when she felt something wet drop on her neck and wished that Katniss woul cheer up, as helpless as her effort felt like.

"Thank you." Katniss whispered and made Effie blush a bit.

They let go of each other when they heard Cinna come down with an outraged Haymitch.

"What the hell? Where did the kid go?" He asked and looked over the room. Katniss swallowed the heavy lump in her throat and answered as loud as she could at the moment.

"He just burst out of the room.. But you'll find him, right?" Haymitch looked worried, who knows what Peeta will do when his emotions have a hold on him. Haymitch nodded and ran out of the door with Cinna.

Effie sighed and Katniss felt like she was in a trance.

"Men." Effie huffed and rolled her eyes, making Katniss giggle lightly. A smile made it's way on Effie's face when she knew that she'd helped at least a little bit.


	3. Dance Lessons

**A/N: I won't be updating in a long time, because I'm going to Lapland with my family and there is not internet. At all. I'm going to die there. Bye.**

**Disclaimer: Nothing belongs to me as usual. Also, there'll be a little bit of Octavia/Venia in this chapter, but I hope you don't mind. **

It was already nightfall when Peeta was finally found. Effie and Katniss had gone back to the train ages ago and Effie had yet to succeed in cheering Katniss up. They were waiting in the restaurant car in an awkward silence.

Haymitch came through the car door with Peeta, who seemed to be sorry about the entire situation. Effie was the one to open her mouth first and she threw a dirty look at Peeta.

"Well! Here to apologize, I believe?" She said with an angry tone. Katniss quickly cut in to say that it was okay, and that Peeta's reaction might have been a little over the top, but completely understandable.

"Katniss, I'm really sorry about the way I acted.. I really shouldn't have and I was already confused about things, so everything just got a little bit out of hand." Peeta explained. Katniss couldn't help smile on her face when Peeta's worry was changed into relief.

"I get it. We're both really stressed out by this entire tour thing, so how about you try to get some sleep? There's just more fuss tomorrow." She said and waved Peeta a good bye before he left with Haymitch. A yawn escaped Katniss' lips as she stretched her back and got up.

"I'll go get some sleep, it's been a really.. tiring day." She said.

"I think I should get going as well", Effie said with a tired look, "Good night, Katniss."

And just like that, she was gone as well. Katniss didn't really like the idea of being alone just with her nightmares again, but did she really have a choice?

Katniss woke up screaming once again. She checked the time and it was three in the morning. She had no desire in going back to sleep, but she couldn't really fight it. She opened the small metal grate next to her window for fresh air. It smelt amazing, it had obviously rained moments ago. Katniss smiled and opened her curtains, letting the moonlight enter her room. She felt her hearbeat slow down from the previous racing. She was getting sleepy again, but this time her head decided to think about something peculiar. The last thing she remembered before another bad dream was the ever so beautiful smile of Effie Trinket.

The sun had risen up and it was shining brightly to Katniss room because she had left the curtains open. Katniss herself was tired from the monotonous routine of nightmares and was only glad to be awoken early. It was seven in the morning, good enough to get up. She got up to take a shower only to get rid of the sweat layer on her skin and Effie would complain to her about that anyway.

With her hair smelling like roses, she left her room to get some food. It had been _forever_ from the last time she ate. The dining car was empty, but it wasn't really a surprise, considering the time.

Katniss picked up food on her plate until it was so full that nothing would stay on it anymore and sat in a mid-sized table next to a window. She looked at the sunrise while devouring everything ranged from bright blue croissants to chocolate oatmeal. It took her nearly an hour, but she emptied her plate completely and now she was certainly stuffed. Since Katniss didn't really have anything else to do, she sat there, watching the sun rise higher.

A tap on her shoulder shook her from her thoughts and she turned her head to see who it was.

"Morning! Mind if I join?" Effie asked with that usual happy voice of hers. Katniss nodded and smiled in return, only making Effie's smile even wider.

"What's in today's schedule?" She teased. Effie didn't realize the joke and to Katniss' dismay, begun to go over it.. again. They wouldn't arrive to the next district until tomorrow, so there was a plenty of free time as well.

"-And in about an hour there'll be dance lessons guided by Octavia, Venia and I."

"Wait- Dance?" Katniss cut in, looking more than just a bit surprised.

"Why, of course! The party in Capitol is going to be big, and you need practice." Effie replied. She tried to stifle a giggle when she saw the look on Katniss' face, but it was quite a faithless effort.

Katniss knew for a fact that she was a terrible dancer. There had been some sort of a District ball, she didn't remember much of it, except the fact that all she did was step on her partner's toes. Effie would have to work a lot on this..

Within a moment Peeta and Cinna came in only to shove nearly as much food into themselves as Katniss. Effie seemed to disagree with this, but she chose not to complain about it.

"I think I'll go prepare one of the cars for the dancing.." She murmured and left. Peeta and Cinna joined Katniss instead, but they didn't say anything.

"Did you know we have dance lessons today?" Katniss suddenly asked Peeta and laughed when he nearly choked on his orange flavored toast. He furiously shook his head and did his best trying to breathe without spitting out everything in his mouth. Cinna patted his back with a smile on his face.

The rest of the breakfast went nicely, that is until Haymitch joined and threw up on the table. Within a second a servant was there to clean it up with Effie on his tail.

"Oh, not again.." She groaned and motioned Katniss and Peeta to get up and follow her. She led them to the now emptied car. The only thing left was a big mirror and a high-tec radio that Katniss probably couldn't use even if she wanted to.

"This is where you will be staying for the next three hours." Effie explained, "Octavia and Venia will be here soon, but it's too bad Haymitch or Cinna aren't able to join. Haymitch.. Well you saw why and Cinna is busy designing more dresses for you, Katniss."

Venia and Octavia came in within a minute, holding hands. This raised a few suspicions, but no-one said a word about it.

"Good morning, everyone." Octavia chirped.

"We're not late, are we?" Venia added and looked warily at the group. Effie shook her head, giving a slight smile to the women. It was evident that something was going on, something delicious, but Effie chose to save it for later. After all, she loved gossip, depending on the subject though.

"Now, then! Peeta, Katniss, do as Octavia and I will show you. First, Peeta hold on to Katniss' waist, yes exactly.."

Two hours later, they were practicing some sort of a waltz, Octavia and Venia were completely in their own world, Peeta was taking a break and Effie was helping Katniss out with the steps.

"Just follow my lead." Effie tried. Katniss had gotten a little better with her dancing, but she still stepped on Effie's toes a couple of times. She didn't seem to mind a bit, though. After several tries, Katniss finally got it, and now they were gently swaying to the music. Effie's cheeks were a little darker in color and her heart was racing.

Katniss believed she could dance without staring at her toes and instead laid her head under Effie's chin. She closed her eyes and let the older woman lead her, but not noticing the fast beat in her chest.

"See? It wasn't that hard." Effie noted and made Katniss smile. She nodded and they danced to the end of the song, and much to Effie's dismay, Katniss went to get Peeta on the dance floor after it.

Venia had to go see Cinna, so Octavia was left with Effie to stand at the edge of the room. Octavia took a note of how Effie stared at Katniss, it was a lustful and longing look, yet she tried to keep it back.

"You like her, don't you?" She suddenly asked. Effie looked down and felt blood rush on her cheeks, but nevertheless she nodded.

"Have you done anything about it?" Octavia's green skin nearly glowed in curiosity. Effie shook her head while still sweeping the floor with her gaze. "And yes, she knows." She added before Octavia could even ask the next question.

"Quite a troubling situation.. A lot like mine and Venia's before she told me."

"So you two are together?"

"Yes, we are. Have been for a while, but I was too shy to show it." Octavia admitted.

"I don't think anyone's going to judge you. Not in here, nor in Capitol." Effie said with a bright smile on her face. Their friendly banter was interrupted when they heard a loud _thump_ and Katniss' beautiful laughter. Peeta was on the floor, he had somehow succeeded in landing face-first on the hard floor. Octavia helped Peeta up and Effie stood beside Katniss while she was trying to catch her breath. Three hours had passed and the rest of the day was free so the former tributes could get some more sleep. Definitely something Katniss did not want at the moment.

Octavia left first to find Venia again, Katniss and Peeta headed straight for their rooms, but Effie stayed for a while longer. She looked at her reflection and noticed just how red she was. _'Definitely not good..' _she thought unplugged the radio.

Since she didn't really have anything left to do, she left for her room, but was stopped dead in her tracks in front of Katniss' room's door. She heard screams, pained and fearful screams. Effie opened the door without hesitation, and rushed over to the bed.

"Katniss!" She said with a stern voice and shook the girl. "Katniss, wake up! It's only a dream!" Suddenly Katniss' eyes opened and she threw her arms around Effie's neck within a second. The grip was tight, a little too tight in fact, but Effie didn't care. She just held her there until Katniss calmed down a little.

"Are you okay?" Effie asked. _'Stupid question.. Obviously not.' _she added in her head. Katniss nodded and said yes, but it was clearly a lie. Effie though that she would need some peace, but just as she was leaving Katniss gripped the hem of her skirt.

"Please don't go." She whispered and pleaded Effie with her eyes.

Effie let out a sigh, pondering whether she should or should she call someone like Peeta there. "Alright, I won't." Effie replied and laid down on the bed next to Katniss. The younger girl snuggled deep into Effie's calling and warm embrace and was happy there. She still shivered and her breaths were fast, but eventually she was able to calm down.

Katniss was slipping back into the dream world, but this time there was someone for her to keep her safe. Effie was there to fight away her nightmares, as cliché as it sounded.


	4. Chances

**A/N: I'm so sorry that this took me so long to get finished, I've had a writer's block for a while so it was the one thing that mostly kept me from writing. Anyway, here you go my lovelies! **

**Also, I love all of you, every review is like gold to me and you guys keep me writing :D  
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**If I owned the Hunger Games then this pairing would be canon. So all credit goes to Suzanne Collins, the new plot is all that's mine.  
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><p>Katniss woke up from her slumber, actually feeling refreshed for a once. However, she was startled when she saw there was someone lying beside her, and not just any someone, but Effie Trinket of all people.<p>

Katniss yelped rather loudly, waking Effie up as well. She watched her eyelashes flutter open in a strangely attractive way, and Effie caught Katniss staring at her.

"How.. What.. When.." Katniss tried to say something, but she was far too surprised to get out a full sentence.

"Today I found you screaming in here, I woke you up and you didn't let me leave." Effie quickly explained with a large yawn. Katniss was embarrassed that Effie had to see her when she was at her most vulnerable.

She refused to look Effie in the eye and instead opened the curtains. It was a beautiful night, the sky was completely clear. Every star could be seen and a full moon was shining. Katniss smiled at the sight and then looked back at Effie, only to notice that she was asleep again.

It was a breath-taking sight really. How the moonlight enhanced her features even more, how her slow breaths seemed to be the most calming sound she had ever heard. The things she was feeling about the woman felt ridiculous, after all she _loathed_ everything and everyone from Capitol.. Although her styling team and Cinna had dug their way to her better side. And now Effie was doing the same. Katniss frowned, biting her lip. She wasn't like this. She was supposed to be strong. Her eyes drifted to the window again to take a look at the beautiful moon.

Katniss decided to give in to sleep once again, hoping that she'd get some rest. Maybe Effie really kept her nightmares away.. Or maybe it was just luck. She unconsciously wished it was the former and felt Effie's arms sneak their way around her. She didn't really have the heart to fight back at the moment. Not that she really wanted to.

Morning came sooner than expected. Katniss had yet again succesfully escaped from her nightamares, but when she turned around, the other side of the bed was empty. Effie was nowhere to be found. The brunette got up and dressed to go find her, and maybe apologize for her behaviour last night. Little did she know that last night was the last time she'd see Effie Trinket in a while.

She did wait for her, even tried knocking on her door without an answer, but she didn't catch even a glimpse of the woman or her wig. The servants delivered food to Effie everyday, and all information or advice Effie had to give, it was through the servants. It was surprisingly silent now that Effie's constant babbling wasn't filling the background, and it was quite bothersome.

Haymitch said that no-one but the servants were allowed to go see Effie, whatever was wrong with her, but Katniss was strangely determined to find out what on earth had happened. Just a while ago she was sleeping in the same bed and now she's restraining herself.

Suddenly an idea hit her. _The Capitol. _Katniss knew Effie couldn't resist a party, especially if it was in the Capitol. This could be her only chance to speak to her and she would most certainly be using it.

More and more days passed, moving on from one District to another and at last it was the day.

Katniss and Peeta were very uncomfortable about this, but Katniss held on to the fact that she may be able to talk to Effie and ask why all she's done is sit in her room.

Peeta and Katniss were having breakfast in silence. It was raining hard, and neither of them really wanted to go anywhere. Katniss nibbled on her toast and she was lost in her thoughts. Her cheeks flushed into a more vibrant colour as she remembered how Effie had looked back then in her bed. Those white, yet unnatural curls were so stunning, the older woman's skin looked a pearly white. It was beautiful. Katniss tried to deny it, but she simply couldn't. A sigh escaped from her lips and Peeta looked at her with a curious face.

"It's nothing. I just don't want to go to Capitol." she explained and Peeta nodded in understanding. Everything goes dark, the train is inside a tunnel. _'We're here'_ Katniss thought and gave up on eating. She probably couldn't keep it down anyway.

Suddenly Effie bursts from the doorway, looking as perfect as usual.

"You two, why aren't you already dressed?" she complained and dragged the two to Cinna. She left as quickly as she'd come, not giving Katniss the time to even realize what had happened. Only once they're dressed all fancy does Effie make another entrance with Haymitch. They're all ready to leave and just as Peeta and Haymitch have stepped out, Katniss decides to take the chance.

"Thank you for last night." she says in a low voice, a faint blush coating her cheeks. Effie bites her lip and stays quiet, but her face gains a little bit of color as well. They both step out into the cheering crowd of pampered people, oblivious to the fact that Venia and Octavia were grinning behind them, wondering if the two would ever understand their feelings.

Evening came sooner than expected. The events of the day were rather draining, she was even getting married to Peeta. When the boy with the bread had stormed off, Haymitch said that Peeta was upset because he had wanted it to be real. Katniss just shrugged, but couldn't ignore the tiny glint in his eyes that was hinting otherwise.

The party was held in a hall inside President Snow's private house. It looked absolutely amazing, and there were tables stacked with food and drinks. Katniss vowed to taste everything, but in the end she couldn't. The music was pounding, making her head ache, but she got used to it. There were flashy lights and people had to scream in order to hear each other, making their ridiculous accent sound even more stupid.

Katniss had searched all over the hall, pretending to speak with people she barely knew, when she was actually looking for Effie. The woman was nowhere to be seen, even after an hour, so Katniss had to give up. She retreated back to the dinding tables and started a conversation with Peeta to keep her mind off of things, at least a bit. She had to admit that she couldn't eat one more mouthful, despite her promise to herself.

Octavia and Venia jumped in and offered them a drink that would make them throw up, but they both refused. Katniss eyed the drink warily and she was shocked. Is this really what a party meant? She headed for the bathroom anyway to calm herself, and to get away from Ocatvia and Venia who were now making out on one of the tables.

The bathroom was luckily empty and soundproof, so the music wasn't tearing anyone's head apart. Suddenly a sniffle came from one of the stalls, the only one that was locked. Katniss was ready to leave in a second until she heard a small, familiar voice whimper: "Why..?"

Katniss hesitated and squeezed her eyes tightly shut. Her logic was telling her to run, but her heart was telling her to stay. She let out a sigh, slowly walked to the stall door and knocked on it.

"Effie?" she whispered and the noises came to an abrupt stop. Suddenly Katniss' brain started to work and her mind was overwhelmed with embarrasment. What if it was someone else? What if someone was simply venting their problems to themselves, and didn't want to be bothered? What if-

"Katniss? Is.. Is that you?" It's Effie all right. Katniss' heart broke at the shattered tone. She took in a deep breath.

"Yes, it's me." she said with a shaky voice. Effie let out another sob and Katniss had to bite grind her teeth together to avoid breaking the door in.

"P-please.. Just g-go away.." Effie whimpered. Katniss bit her lip now, nearly drawing blood. She swallowed loudly and had to take more deep breaths.

"No. No, I won't. I want to know what's wrong." She didn't know where this sudden desire was coming from, but now was not the time to figure that out. Effie just cried out.

"Please let me in." Katniss felt awkward when the words left her tongue. Out of sudden the bathroom lock clicked and Effie opened it very slightly. Katniss gasped as she saw the woman.

Her curly wig was as perfect as ever, maybe a little off, but still. It was Effie's face that caught her off guard. Her mascara was running all over her cheeks, and most of her powder had come off in a futile attempt to wipe off the tears. Her skin was pale anyway, but it was more of a creamy shade than the usual white. To Katniss, she looked more human than ever.

"What's wrong?" she asked the broken woman. Effie simply shook her head and clenched her hands. Katniss sighed and opened the door a little more to wrap her arms around her. Effie clung to her like her life depended on it, but at the same time she seemed like she wanted to run away as far as possible. Katniss held on tighter and let Effie cry there. It was odd how nobody had come into the bathroom yet, so she might as well take advantage of the situation.

"Effie, please tell me." she asked again and looked into those light blue eyes, drowning herself in them. Effie stared back and did her best to stifle the sobs and forced out a sentence.

"I-I'm not supposed to.. Y-you know what I m-mean.. Snow saw me l-looking at you and h-he threatened to t-torture you i-if anything ever h-happened between us."

Katniss felt torn. On the other hand she wished that nothing would ever happen, but on the other she wished it so badly. She felt so confused, she was angry at herself for not being able to make sense out of anything. She bit her tongue and made herself say _something_.

"I won't let him hurt you." Effie looked at her and was on the verge of sobbing again.

"Katniss.." she whispered. She drew her hands back and started to fiddle with her fingers. Katniss put her hands on Effie's shoulders to calm her down a little, but the effect was pretty much the complete opposite. Effie jumped back like the touch had burnt, but Katniss closed the space between them again.

"I will never let him, or anyone in this world harm you, do you understand?" Katniss said in a clear voice. Her face was flushed again, she couldn't believe what she was saying. She didnt' even notice how close they actually were. And they were drawing even closer.. and closer..Until someone came through the door and Katniss leaped from Effie to the sink behind her to pretend that she was just washing her hands. The green haired woman looked at them a little suspiciously, but shrugged and went into one of the stalls. Katniss glanced at Effie again, who was shaking. She tried to to take her hand, but Effie drew it away.

"Just go."

"But-"

"GO!"

The shout was enough to make Katniss run out of the bathroom and back into the loud hall. The music had been turned down a little, so people could actually speak to each other. Venia and Octavia had disappeared somewhere, and Katniss saw Cinna and Peeta talking in the far end of the hall. Katniss was still shaking from the recent event, her brain trying to process what had happened. She had nearly kissed Effie Trinket. _Effie Trinket._ Her mind was at war again as it tried to decide whether this was a bad thing or not.

Portia came from behind her and scared Katniss a little, making her yelp. She evened her breath and prepared herself to meet Plutarch Heavensbee. A man who looked oddly familiar, yet not familiar at all.

The conversation with Plutarch had been confusing. Katniss wished from the bottom of her heart that they could leave and she found Peeta hanging around one of the tables again.

"I wish this was over already." she said and Peeta nodded. "Effie said we have to be in the train by one. What time is it?"

"Almost twelve." Katniss replied. She picked a piece of chocolate cake with her bare hands, not caring about table manners.

"Time to leave!" Effie chirps behind them. Katniss turns around like she was hit by lightning and sees that Effie looks perfect as usual. Apparently she had the time to fix her make up and calm herself enough to show up in public. She gives Katniss a short but longing look, but she forces her eyes away and takes the two with her to find everyone else.

The train was quiet. Katniss was exhausted, but she just couldn't fall asleep. Her thoughts kept on wandering to a certain lady, and she did her best to think of anything else. She ended up opening the curtains again before falling back on the bed and staring at the night sky. Katniss sighed and turned on her other side. It was no use. She'd been trying to catch sleep for hours. If only she hadn't had the one conversation with Effie just after they'd come back.

"_Effie, wait!" _

"_Katniss, I don't want to talk to you."_

"_You know that's not true."_

"_Why do you care anyway? They're my feelings, it's my problem, you should just ignore it until it passes."_

"_I can't. Believe me, I've tried, but I can't ignore you."_

"_You should."_

"_But I won't."_

"_Please, Katniss, this is not going to help either of us."_

"_It would make you happy."_

"_I- At the very moment _my _happiness is one of the last things I care about."_

"_Not for me."_

"_Good night, Katniss."_

"_Effie! Stop. You know what you want, as do I. I.. I may not be ready yet, but maybe-"_

"_Don't! Please don't. Don't give me false hope. And we would both probably get killed at some point"_

"_I would get killed one day anyway."_

"_Don't say that."_

"_You know it's true."_

"_Please. Just.. Give me time. I need to get myself in order. And I need you to forget about all of this."_

"_You know now that I can't. Effie you can't ask me to ignore you when you know that you mean something to me."_

"_I told you not to-"_

"_It's not false hope. I'm giving you a chance. But if you won't take it, I understand. Good night."_

Katniss wasn't sure what had posessed her to say the things she did, but she knew they were true. She couldn't help it, but she would have to accept that Effie wanted to stay away from her, at least for now. Katniss understood that Effie's entire reputation would be ruined if anyone found out about a relationship between a former tribute and someone from the Capitol.. But she still wished.

When someone knocked on her door she jerked up and made a jump for the door.

"I knew you weren't asleep." Octavia whispered before taking the liberty of stepping in. Katniss furrowed her eyebrows in confusion as Octavia sat on her bed and patted the spot next to her.

"Most people don't invite me into my own bed." she said before sitting anyway. "So, what are you here for? It's nearly four in the morning."

"I've been speaking with Effie for the past two hours. She's a complete mess." Octavia sighed and looked down. Katniss felt guilty and bit her lip.

"It's because of me, isn't it?" she murmured.

"Well, I really don't want to say that, but yes." It hurt. Katniss rubbed her temples.

"I'm sorry." she said and felt Octavia wrap her arms around her. It felt awkward, but Katniss let her stay there.

"Don't be. You're both really confused, but everyone on this train would be cheering for the two of you if they knew. At the moment Effie's just really afraid, not for herself," Octavia added when Katniss gave her a look, "but for you. She was a human waterfall when she said that Snow might kill you right away if he ever found out."

Katniss nodded and pushed Octavia gently away from her, she just needed the personal space.

"She cares about you. Heck, she probably loves you. She just doesn't want you to get hurt."

The words 'she probably loves you' were stuck in the smaller girl's head. She had gone wordless and Octavia was starting to get a little bit worried when Katniss wasn't responding by any way.

"Erm.. Katniss?" she asked carefully and jumped a bit when Katniss turned her head suddenly. "I just said good night. But you have to promise me that you'll give Effie another chance." The look of pure determination on Octavia's face was enough to make Katniss agree.

"I promise." she said and yawned. Her eyelids started to feel heavy and the moment Octavia left she fell into a nightmare filled sleep.

It seemed like Effie had the courage to get out of her room after the party and she was one of the first people to arrive for breakfast, along with Venia. She let out a small yawn and picked something from the table and bit in. Effie was tired and her eyes still felt a little sore from her break down in front of Octavia. The poor woman had stayed with her for hours, not minding the loss of sleep at all. It was sweet of her, and she was excited about today. Maybe today would be a good day. Maybe everything would be just fine. She was quickly pulled down from the clouds when Katniss came in. There were purple bags under her eyes, she looked as if she'd slept for an hour.

"Good morning, Katniss!" Effie chirped in her cheerful tone, wishing that Katniss hadn't given up on her.

"Morning." she replied with a small smile that made Effie's heart soar. Maybe she hadn't lost her chance, maybe this would all- no. She couldn't do this because Katniss would get hurt. Yes, as long as she could maintain a friendship between them, everything should be fine.

Katniss sat next to Effie with a plate that was nearly empty. Effie looked at her worriedly and Katniss laughed a little.

"I ate a little too much last night. I don't think my stomach can handle a large meal." she explained and Effie gave her one more playfully suspicious look before going back to her own breakfast.

"So.. What are you going to do when you're back home?" Effie asked to start a small talk. Katniss thought about it for a second before answering.

"I don't know actually. I guess I'll just hunt for fun, maybe spend some time with Gale.." Jealousy dug itself into Effie, she had completely forgotten about the boy from Katniss' home district.

"Oh. You two are quite close, yes?"

"Well, he's my friend. Mostly we hunt together to keep our families alive, but now I don't need to do that.. So I don't really know. I just hope we won't end up entirely apart."  
>"So.. There is nothing more between you?" Suddenly Katniss realized why Effie was asking and she couldn't help smirking.<p>

"No, not yet at least.I just think that we're supposed to stay friends." she answered truthfully, even though the temptation to tease the older woman was great.

Effie let out the breath she hadn't realized that she was holding and went back to her food, feeling a little embarrassed about asking.

Octavia had joined Venia by this point and they were so happy. Effie looked at them sadly, which did not go unnoticed by Katniss.

"You still have your chance." she said before getting up and heading towards her room. Soon she'd be home, where she'd get some time to think. Until the next Hunger Games, that is. She closed the door behind her and sighed before falling back on the bed. A little extra sleep couldn't hurt, and Katniss was truly dying for some.


	5. Home

**Disclaimer: I own nothing. If I did, thsi would be canon. I'm so sorry about the wait, but here's the new chapter. I solemnly swear that I'll try to update more often, you people probably hate me for the ridiculously long time gap, but I've been running out of inspiration every now and then. Anyway, I hope you enjoy this chapter and thank you for all the reviews and favorites, every single one brightens up my day more than you can imagine.**

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><p>For some reason, Effie remained somewhat distant for the rest of the trainride. Katniss tried to talk to her on several occasions, but Effie flat out refused to. Eventually Katniss had to give up, as little as she wanted to. And so, she remained in her room, staring at the view from her window, wondering if Effie would speak to her during the next Hunger Games. A sigh escaped Katniss' lips, echoing in the quiet room. She turned around and stared intently the crumpled bedsheets beneath her.<p>

On the other side of the train was one lonely Effie Trinket sitting in front of a mahogany desk in her room. She was in her thoughts, her lips formed into a thin line and her eyebrows crinkled. She was upset about many things, the main one being Katniss Everdeen. There wasn't even one moment when she wasn't thinking about her, in one way or another. She had realized that when the 75th Hunger Games would come, she would have to discuss mentoring and other similar subjects with her, and so she would have to stay in control.

Her lower lip trembled at the thought of the marriage between Peeta and Katniss, but she would have to deal with it. Effie held her head in her hands and tried to think of anything else, but the marriage. If only the images of Katniss in a wedding dress, sharing a kiss with Peeta and their children weren't invading her mind she may have been perfectly fine. If only.

Katniss was leaning against the window, her eyes searching through the landscape outside. They were close, she knew it. Her steps sounded muffled in the stuffy room as she got up and walked to the door, not really caring about the slight mess she'd made. The door gave a little squeak when it slid open, it was a noise that Katniss had gotten surprisingly used to.

She wandered through the train and ended up in the Dining Car. She picked a normal looking apple from a metallic bowl and took a bite. Fortunately it was a regular apple and she took another bite, sitting on a stool right beside her. District 12 was faintly visible from the window and soon Peeta came to the car as well, followed by Cinna, Portia and Flavius. All of them took a seat next to Katniss, but none said anything to each other.

A few seconds later Effie came to the car as well, her shoulders a little slumped, and her trademark smile wasn't decorating her face.

"Are you okay?" Cinna asked. All of them turned to see why he'd asked, but were soon gifted with an answer.

"I'm fine. Just a little tired from all this." Katniss knew she was talking about something more than just the tour, but she didn't bring it up. Effie took a seat next to Cinna, much to Katniss' dismay and everyone was silent again.

Suddenly the train slowed down and everyone looked outside. There was a small crowd waiting outside in the snow, including Katniss' mother who was holding Prim, the baker and Gale. A ghost of a smile lingered on Katniss' face when she saw Prim alive and healthy, and this didn't go unnoticed by Effie.

"Happy to be home?" she asked. All she got for a reply was a nod, but it was enough. Everyone got up and went outside, picking a coat from a pile that Haymitch had carried in when he joined them at the train's exit.

Greetings were given, but Effie shooed everyone to the mayor's house, not giving Katniss any time to catch up with Gale, or even give Prim a hug. She felt a little sour after, but her mind quickly drifted off as she slowly began to realize that she was home again.

Katniss and Peeta were ready too soon, and as Katniss was heading to Madge's room for a conversation, she saw how terrible the situation was at District 8. She was still a little shaken up by it, and tried to push it out of her mind for now.

Madge opened the door of her room almost at the very second Katniss had gently knocked on it. She was pulled inside and the door let out a loud creaking noise when it was closed behind her. Madge's room was a little messy, and a layer of dust was covering several surfaces.

"It's good to have you home, Katniss." Madge said and sat on the bed. "I've missed you."

"I've missed you too." It wasn't entirely a lie, she had given a thought or two to Madge, but her mind was far too wrapped up in Effie to wonder how things were back home. She felt a little bad for not thinking about the situation here, and she dozed off for a second while imagining horrible things that could've been waiting back home. Katniss sat next to Madge and smiled. Aside from Gale, Madge had been her only friend- sort of. They had gotten closer during the time Katniss was back from the Hunger Games, and she could safely say that Madge was her friend.

"You know.. When you were gone, a plenty of things happened." Katniss was slightly surprised by this, she hadn't been gone for such a long time.

"Like what?" she asked. Madge fidgeted and played with a ring on her finger, a tint of red coating her cheeks.

"Like.. Uhm.. A boyfriend kind of thing. I know you dislike such subjects, but I thought that since you are my closest friend, you should know."

"Oh. Well, congratulations." Madge smiled at her friend before Katniss questioned further. Who is it?" she asked, feeling a little awkward.

"Just someone from the school. I think you've seen him once or twice. Red hair, bright green eyes." Katniss nodded.

"Out of curiosity, and I swear this will be my final say about this, you didn't possibly meet anyone during the tour?" The color on Katniss' face could have matched the one of a tomato. She tried to desperately think of anything but Effie, failing horribly.

"No."

"Yes, you did. I can see it from your body language, and your face reveals quite a bit too. So, who is it?"

"Someone who I most certainly should not care for."

"Why?"

"You don't want to know." The curiosity in Madge's eyes was making Katniss uncomfortable, and she really didn't want to spill this piece of knowledge.

"Is it a girl?" she suddenly asked and Katniss gasped, while Madge gave a knowing smirk.

"So, it is." Katniss could only nod and look away. "I can see the problem, but people could deal with it in time, I guess. Does she like you back?"

"I.. I think so. We've had our share of moments."

"Well then, why aren't you two together already?"

"I wish it was that simple." Katniss said with a sigh. "She's from different.. circumstances than me. She doesn't want to put me in danger."

"But you're Katniss Everdeen! You won the Hunger Games! What could possibly-"

"I think you know exactly what. Your father would be stupid for not informing you about the things happening all around Panem, and the fact that I'm supposedly an.. an icon of the rebellion or something of the sort."

Madge frowned and brushed a few stray hairs away from her face. "You're correct. I'm well aware of everything that's happened, but.. You should still take advantage of the time you still have left. You don't know when you'll be able to talk in private again, and you should do what you need to now that you still can."

The determination in Madge's voice made Katniss feel a little more confident.

"Thank you, Madge. I really needed that." she said and smiled softly.

They both glanced at the clock on the wall and Katniss excused herself, the prep team had some small details to finish before the dinner.

Effie was sat between Haymitch and Venia, the other blabbering enthusiastically about a new way to stylize eyelashes, and the other one hitting on her to no end.

"So, whaddya say? After dinner you and I could go get some beer and maybe a little-" Haymitch wiggled his eyebrows and Effie shivered in disgust. The other side of the table was caught up in a friendly conversation, but that didn't stop Katniss from giving a glare to the drunk.

"Eh.. No thank you Haymitch. I am busy tonight, I must prepare for the next annual Hunger Games. There is a plenty to be done, after all." Effie explained, and Haymitch backed off, for now at least.

"So, Katniss, Peeta, how does it feel to be back home?" the mayor asked suddenly. Katniss was a little unsure and poked her food with her fork, letting Peeta do the talking.

"It feels good, we were starting to get tired of all the cameras and the action."

Katniss nodded and everyone fell back to their previous conversations, with the exception of Haymitch who excused himself because he was feeling sick. Katniss tried to listen to Flavius, but she was very intent on catching Effie's eye. She was avoiding her, and suddenly she felt another pair of eyes land on her. Madge was staring at her with a grin on her face, her eyes continuously flicking towards Effie, like she was asking: _'Is that her?'. _The color of Katniss' face deepened and she looked down, making Madge's smile even wider.

The rest of the dinner moved on far too slowly for Katniss' liking, and she was only relieved to be able to return home. She had taken barely two steps when Effie stopped her.

"Katniss, wait!" she shouted and the younger girl turned around, instantly finding herself lost in those pale blue orbs. "Walk with me?"

They were silent for a few minutes, only the sound of the snow under their feet could be heard in the otherwise quiet district.

"Effie.. Shouldn't you leave?" Katniss asked and immediately corrected herself after seeing the hurt in Effie's eyes. "I mean, to the Capitol!" That didn't make it any better. "To prepare the Hunger Games. I mean- I-" she finished.

"I see what you mean. And, yes. But I wished I could spend the last few moments with you." Effie's smile would've given Katniss enough strength to run to the Capitol and back. Instead, she replied to the older woman's smile and linked their hands. They kept on walking, Effie admiring the snowy District in its winter beauty. Suddenly something buzzed in Effie's handbag and she had to draw her hand back to reach it. Katniss immediately missed the contact, letting out a tiny whimper which drew a smirk out of Effie. She mentally slapped herself for letting her emotions control herself so easily. What had happened to her? _'Effie happened.' _Her mind replied. She was so in her thoughts that she'd entirely missed the phone call Effie had just finished.

"Katniss, I have to leave. Just like you said, I'm needed in the Capitol, so I have to get going." she stated with a frown. Katniss felt her smile melt away at the very second and she nearly didn't catch Effie. She had a firm grip on her wrist and she wasn't even nearly ready to let go.

"Effie, I.." she mumbled and they were both feeling awfully warm in their winter coats.

"What is it?" Effie inquired while biting her lip. Katniss swallowed and took a deep breath.

"I.. I'm going to miss you." were the words that Katniss' mouth had formed, when her heart was ready to spit out a very different sentence. She felt Effie's arms around her and her heart jumped to her throat as she tried to keep her nerves in check. Katniss gently hugged Effie back, but they had to separate far too soon, both of them feeling sour.

"Well, I'll see you soon! May the odds-"

"-Be ever in your favor." Katniss finished Effie's trademark words and smirked at the rosy color that had appeared on those snowy white cheeks.

Katniss waved one last time at Effie and felt guilty about wishing that the Hunger games would come a little sooner.

The time on District 12 seemed to fly by. Things had only taken a turn for the worse, new guards, the electric fence was turned on again, Katniss had found out that maybe District 13 isn't what it actually seems to be and Gale had been beaten up really bad by the new head of the guards. Katniss was walking in the forest, it was one of the very few times she was able to sneak in there. Only the biting cold was occasionally able to shake Katniss from her thoughts.

_'People say that there's always light at the end of the tunnel. Maybe my life isn't a tunnel, it's more like a cave with a dead end and I have to drill my way through the solid rock to find the light.' _she thought and kicked a tree out of frustration, instantly regretting it as the searing pain entered her toe. The area was filled with hushed cursing as Katniss sat on a tree stump and waited for the pain to pass.

Her breathing was slowly even again and this time Katniss was only looking around. She didn't have to hunt anymore now that she had won the Hunger Games with Peeta, but she missed it. Not fighting for her life, but the thrill and satisfaction of a succesful hunt.

A squirrel dropped down from a tree and Katniss' hands made the automatical move of grabbing an arrow from her quill, only to once again realize that she didn't have any with her. A little foolish, yes, but that morning she felt that she wouldn't need them today. Her eyes traveled around the snowy clearing and suddenly she felt sick. Snow. It was so beautiful, and yet the enemy of all of Panem was named after it. Soon she imagined rose petals on the white substance and she immediately felt the need to leave. Katniss was only slightly out of breath as she ran to the fence and was surprised that it wasn't turned on. Without hesitation she used her opportunity and slipped back inside District 12.

The wedding photoshoot. Katniss had nearly forgotten about it entirely, but she had been harshly reminded of it as the entire prepping team came knocking on her door at five in the morning. The only good thing that came out of it was the kiss on the cheek from Effie as an apology. Suddenly everyone was pushing and pulling her from here to there, slipping her into different dresses and in the end it was all just a blur.

There were six dresses in total, but only one of them truly caught Katniss' eye. It was white and simple, there were different sized pearls all over it, and it was quite beautiful. Effie noticed Katniss' lingering gaze on the white dress and demanded it to be tried on next. Katniss spun around a few times in the dress and even had a small and honest smile on her face. Effie did her best to cover up her blush, but she couldn't help smiling back at the girl. Her smile faded as she remembered that Peeta was waiting for Katniss on the isle, not her. Luckily Katniss had been too caught up with listening to Cinna to notice Effie's sour expression. Octavia wasn't as ignorant though, and she sent her a symphatetic smile and mouthed 'It'll be okay'. Effie nodded and turned back to Katniss, shouting instructions to Venia and Cinna before sitting down on a chair to shamelessly stare at the bride-to-be.

Effie unconsciously licked her lips before telling everyone to take five, maybe only to talk to Katniss or not. She spotted the girl heading to the kitchen and followed her, her heels clicking on the wooden floor.

Katniss filled two glasses with water and handed the other one to Effie. Their fingers briefly brushed against one another, nearly making the glass drop to the floor.

"Sorry." Effie said and took a small sip. "So.. How are things going? I've heard some rumours, but I don't know what to believe."

Katniss sighed and put the glass on the counter before motioning Effie to sit down in front of the table. She quickly took a seat after her and started to explain.

"Well, as you probably know there are new guards around, an Gale.. Was punished for not following the rules." she had almost slipped and said 'was whipped and nearly bled to death'. She knew that she could trust Effie, but she was still from Capitol and there were things that city didn't need to know.

"That's not all, now is it? It's okay, I can't expect you to tell me everything. All I need is for you to be allright." Effie stated and carefully took Katniss' hand into her own. "You are okay, right?" she asked hesitantly.

"As okay as I can be in a situation like this. I mean.. Marriage? I'ts just not something I would do and there are many things I'd rather be doing than fake devoting myself to Peeta." she sighed after her confession. Her eyes immediately sprang to Effie's as she squeezed her hand and offered a smile.

"Everything will work out in the end. I know it will." her smile turned even wider and she patted Katniss' shoulder, kissed her cheek again and whispered in her ear: "Let's get things going again, hm?"

She couldn't stop smirking at Katniss' blush when she realized the innuendo in the sentence. Katniss was quickly dragged away to be shoved into another dress and Effie was left with the others and the thoughts in her head.

The prepping team was left to stay in the District until the next reaping. They stayed surprisingly quiet, putting aside the occasional burst into Katniss' house with a basket of food. Once they even threatened to break through the door when Katniss hadn't heard them knock.

One morning, at half past seven in the morning, Katniss, Prim and their mother were gathered in front of the television to see Caesar Flickerman blabbering about the wedding. This did nothing to lift Katniss' already low spirits.

"Yes, exactly. This year is the year of the 75th annual Hunger Games, and it means that the third Quarter Quell is coming up!" he said and everyone seemed confused.

"What are they up to now?" Prim asked. "It's many months away."

They both turn to face their mother.

"They're probably just telling us about the upcoming program." she said and everyone's eyes were back on the screen again.

The national anthem starts and they're just sitting there silently, waiting for the program to continue. President Snow stepped on the stage with a young boy following him, holding a box made of wood in his hands. As soon as the national anthem stops he begins his speech. He reminds everyone of the dark times before the Hunger Games and this time he tells a little more about the Quarter Quell, which is held every twenty five years. The Hunger Games were more festive during the Quarter Quell to work as a memorial to the people who had died during the rebellion of the districts.

President Snow carries on by informing everyone about the past Quarter Quells.

"On the 25th anniversary the rebels were reminded that their children died because they themselves had decided to settle on violence. Each District had to hold an election to choose the tributes."

Katniss shuddered at the thought of getting voted to be a tribute. That must've felt absolutely terrible.

"On the 50th anniversary we wanted to remind everone that two rebels died for one resident of Panem and that each District had to send twice the usual amount of tributs to the games."

That was the year Haymitch had won. Katniss' mother's friend had also been in the games, only her time there didn't end as Haymitch's.

"And now we are celebrating our 75th Hunger Games." The president says. The small boy clad in white inches closer and opens the box he is holding. Everyone who's watching could see clean row of envelopes. President Snow picked up the envelope that had a large 75 written on it. He opened the envelope and pulled out a small paper.

"As a reminder to the rebels of the fact that not even the oldest of them could defeat the power of Capitol, on the third Quarter Quell the two tributes will be chosen from the existing winners."

For a while Katniss' brain tried to access the information, but within minutes she was running out of the house and she collided with Effie as soon as she got out of the door.

She didn't even apologize as the hot tears fell down her cheeks when she just ran. She didn't know where she was going, but all she knew was that she would be a tribute in the Hunger Games _again_. She heard someone yell her name in the distance, but she didn't bother stopping. When she had come round to a cellar of one of the houses in the Victors' Village did she finally stop. She slipped down the wall she was leaning on and curled into a ball, her quiet sobs echoing slightly in the cold room. She shook with fear and anger, not knowing if she should scream or laugh.

Katniss didn't hear someone coming down the steps to the cellar and wrapping a soft fur coat around her. She gripped the fabric like her life depended on it and she felt warm arms wrap around her and she leaned into them, not really caring who it was. If it was someone she should've been afraid of they would've already killed her. Through her blurry eyes Katniss looked up to see the glossy eyes of Effie Trinket staring back at her.

"I'm so, so sorry Katniss." she whispered to the girl and squeezed her tighter. Suddenly Katniss stiffened and ripped herself away from her.

"No. This.. This is your fault! You knew about this didn't you!" she screamed, blinded by the hatred she felt towards Capitol.

Effie looked like a kicked puppy.

"No, I swear I had no idea. I had nothing to do with this, Katniss." she tried to reason with her.

Katniss shook her head feverishly and looked at Effie with a raging fire in her eyes. "Don't lie to me."

"I'm not lying! I swear through.. Anything that I, Effie Trinket din't have the tiniest idea that you would ever have to- to-" Effie bit her lip hard to keep herself from crying. She took a deep and shaky breath before continuing. "If I had known, I would've helped you escape. I would've done anything to keep you safe. Katniss, please."

Katniss still looekd suspiciously at her, her eyes narrowing.

"How do I know you're not lying. What if all you've said to me was made up so I could trust you? I bet you don't even have any feelings for me, that was all Capitol, wasn't it?" Effie's breath quickened and her cheeks were stained with mascara-filled tears.

"Katniss.."

"No. I don't care what you have to say, just go. I'm going to die anyway so it doesn't even matter."

"KATNISS, DON'T!" Effie screamed, refusing to accept the fact that Katniss might actually _die._ The floor felt suddenly much more inviting as the world began to spin around Katniss and she fell on her knees.

It was quiet for a while, neither woman knowing what to do. Effie was still standing a few feet away, wondering if she should just leave. She knew that Katniss was just taking her anger out on someone, but that didn't make her words hurt any less. She was well aware that she shouldn't bite back, that she shouldn't make the shattered girl's world any worse than it already was, and she really did her best, but it wasn't enough.

"I just wanted you to know that I'm still here. I really thought that there could be something between us, Katniss, but now I see that is not the case. If you ever need me, please contact Venia, Flavius, Octavia or Cinna." she said and walked out of the cellar, sobs wracking her body as she went.

Katniss was left on the floor, regretting every single word that had left her mouth the moment she saw Effie take the first step away from her, but she couldn't bring herself to call her back.

"I'm sorry.." she whispered to the now empty cellar and felt more tears spring into her eyes as the cold fact hit her.

_She left._


End file.
